Apr 11 1973
From The Space Library
The Air Force Systems Command announced it was developing the Air Farce Satellite Communications (AFSATCOM) System to satisfy high-priority Air Force requirements for command and control of forces. AFSATCOM'S space segment would consist of Air Force ultra-high-frequency transponders on the Navy Fleet Satellite Communications (FLTSATCOM) System, the Air Force Satellite Data System (SOS), and the global backup capability on other Dept. of Defense host satellites. The production contract award would be made after an extensive test program. (AFSC Release 029.73)
The Federal Communications Commission granted permission to Communications Satellite Corp. to contract for three satellites to be used for a maritime communications satellite system. A construction permit would be granted later. FCC stipulated that ComSatCorp must allow all carriers already providing maritime service to invest and participate in the entire system. (AP, W Star-News, 8/30/73, D6; FCC P10)
U.S., French, and British scientists would witness the eclipse of the sun on June 30 while flying aboard the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic transport aircraft, Concorde's French manufacturer Aerospatiale told the press in Paris. A special flight at twice the speed of sound along the 3000-km (1900-mi) eclipse path from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, to Fort Lamay, Chad, would extend observing time to 80 min-11 times what it would be on the ground and 7 times what it would be from a subsonic aircraft. (UPI, NYT, 4/12/73, 13)
Developing technologies in short-haul air transportation were discussed by Rep. Silvio O. Conte (R-Mass.) in a speech before the Short-Haul Air Transportation-STOL Symposium in McLean, Va.: "Steep approaching, quiet, short-runway aircraft are now appearing on the drawing boards. The 45-passenger DeHavilland DHC-7, able to operate from short runways quietly and economically, is scheduled to appear by the mid-70's. The Air Force is going ahead with construction of two prototype jet STOL [short takeoff and landing] transports from which technical fallout is inevitable. The major airframe manufacturers are seriously studying the type of short-haul aircraft that can meet the environmental and market demands of the next decade." NASA was developing a clean, quiet experimental engine. "Of all things necessary for a practical and acceptable short-haul aircraft to meet our future transportation needs, a quiet engine is the most crucial.” (CR, /19/73, E2581-2)
A Kansas City Times editorial commented on the proximity of Soviet Salyut 2 and U.S. Skylab launch dates: "A minor fuss has been made over the timing of Salyut's launch [April 3], which was seen by some as an attempt by the Soviets, after several misfortunes and embarrassments, to steal a bit of the luster from a U.S. manned flight. The point is irrelevant. These are not merely showpiece, national prestige projects. They are bricks-and-mortar foundation-laying for both countries' futures in space. In the race for the moon, being first counted for something. In . . . learning to function usefully in a long-term space environment, the test is not how soon you get up but what's accomplished after you're there.” (KC Times, 4/11/73)
April 11-14: The 10th Annual Space Congress met in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Dr. Franco Fiori, scientific counselor at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said space cooperation had brought a "wide spectrum" of advances in space science. Col. William G. Bastido of the Air Force Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs noted that European countries had allocated $300 million toward the space shuttle program. Capt. Robert F. Freitag (USN, Ret.), Deputy Director of Advanced Programs in the NASA Office of Manned Space Flight, said international space cooperation might not be an easy solution to international problems, but was the right approach. NASA Associate Administrator for Applications Charles W. Mathews chaired a panel discussion on practical applications in space. (0 Sen, 4/12/73; Today, 4/14/73)
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